Why snappy dogs, scratchy cats, and hungry worms were part of a medieval woman’s vision of the afterlife

| Insights & Views

The afterlife is not typically associated with aggressive pets and insatiable worms. But these are exactly the creatures that appeared to an unnamed woman recluse living in Winchester, England, over the course of three...

Parting by Sebastian Haffner: the forgotten German novel of the early 1930s that’s become a bestseller

| Insights & Views

Abschied (Parting) by Sebastian Haffner (1907-1999) is dominating the bestseller charts in Germany. It has been published posthumously, over 25 years after his death, after the manuscript was found in a drawer. The novel...

How often should you really be washing your bedding? A microbiologist explains

| Insights & Views

Most of us spend around a third of our lives in bed. Sleep isnt just downtime; its essential for normal brain function and overall health. And while we often focus on how many hours were getting, the quality of our sleep...

Undersea cables are vulnerable to sabotage – but this takes skill and specialist equipment

| Insights & Views

Countries have come to rely on a network of cables and pipes under the sea for their energy and communications. So it has been worrying to read headlines about communications cables being cut and, in one case, an undersea...

Welcome to post-growth Europe – can anyone accept this new political reality?

| Insights & Views

Across much of Europe, the engines of economic growth are sputtering. In its latest global outlook, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) sharply downgraded its forecasts for the UK and Europe, warning that the continent...

Do women have to pee more often? The answer is surprisingly complex

| Insights & Views

Are we stopping again already? Its a familiar complaint on family road trips and one thats often aimed at women. From sitcoms to stand-up routines, the idea that women have smaller bladders has become a cultural punchline....

Wimbledon and British Open competitors aren’t the only ones at risk of these common elbow injuries

| Insights & Views

Professional athletes from around the world spend years training to compete in some of the UKs biggest summer sporting tournaments: Wimbledon and the British Open. But not all tournament hopefuls will make it to the finals...